UTSA 54, Bacone 7: How the game was won

I suppose there’s a chance Minot State, another bad NAIA team against whom UTSA will finish its inaugural season at home on Nov. 19, could play worse than the Warriors did Saturday at the Alamodome.

But that’s hard to imagine after Bacone committed five turnovers, had a punt blocked and was outscored 34-0 in a single quarter. Not to pile on, but the Warriors just aren’t a very good football team. Which takes care of perhaps the biggest reason for Saturday’s blowout.

Others included —

Defense

Showing no mercy against their defenseless prey, the Roadrunners cleaned up most of the woes that had plagued them in recent weeks.

They did suffer another coverage breakdown on a long TD pass in the fourth quarter that spoiled what would have been their first shutout.

But that was about the only apparent flaw after they beat Bacone quarterback Michael Cook to a pulp with five sacks, held the Warriors to 3 for 15 on third downs while forcing five turnovers, nearly double their weekly target of three.

Ianno, who was only 1 for 4 on FGs entering Saturday’s game, was perfect on four attempts, the longest coming from 45. He also thrived on kickoffs, knocking three into the end zone for touchbacks as UTSA dominated field position throughout the game.

He was aided by strong coverage as the Warriors started their 11 post-kickoff drives on their own 10, 20, 16, 20, 16, 18, 20, 12, 20, 16 and 15. Josh Ward chipped in by knocking all four of his punts inside the 20.

Overall, the Warriors’ average starting position on their 18 drives was their own 17.6 yard line, an exceedingly difficult position to be in on the road, against a vastly superior team.

On the downside…

The Roadrunners’ point total, and their 411 yards, masked what was probably their worst offensive performance of the season.

That’s coming straight from the mouth of offensive coordinator Travis Bush, who, like his counterpart Neal Neathery, pulls no punches when he’s giving his opinion. (Which I absolutely love, by the way.)

Except he didn’t couch his with a “probably.” When I asked him to assess his unit’s performance, his first response was a sort of sarcastic snicker that got his point across even before he started talking.

“We really could have played better,” he said. “Just too many miscues on our end. Mental busts, dropped balls, turnovers, missed throws…it’s just a very sloppy game on our part. When you win 54-7, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”

Well, it wouldn’t be a first year program if they didn’t have plenty of stuff to work on, not only this week but the foreseeable future. Still, Sam Houston State and the rest of the FCS foes on UTSA’s schedule — the next five, if you’re counting — can wait.

For the next day or so, the Roadrunners can savor the cupcake they devoured on Saturday, leaving only a few crumbs behind.